“If you’re sitting up there in your silly little space ships with all your silly little guns, and you’ve got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who’s standing in your way! Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then, do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first!”
-Doctor Who, “The Pandorica Opens”
I was chatting with an enemy of mine yesterday, and the subject of Rome came up. Not the city, but the HBO series from 2005-2007. It was a fascinating, intriguing and sexy take on politics and passion in ancient Rome. I loved the show, and not just to catch the occasional glimpses of naked Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson (and all of James Purefoy as Marc Antony). While we debated who was hottest, we did agree on one thing: our favorite Rome character, hands down, was Atia of the Julii, played to the hilt by Polly Walker. Beautiful, conniving and not just a little sadistic, Atia stole my heart (or ripped it out with her bare hands). And the best Atia moment came at the very end of the series. We struggled to remember the exact words, but the sentiment was still crystal clear in our minds: don’t mess with Atia.
“I know who you are. I can see you. You’re swearing now that someday you’ll destroy me. Remember...far better women than you have sworn to do the same. Go look for them now.”
-Atia of the Julii (Polly Walker), Rome
I walk away from the computer for one evening and come back to find my in box stuffed with emails about Thor! Exciting news, folks! Nikki Finke is reporting that Australian dreamboat Chris Hemsworth has been cast to play the God of Thunder in Kenneth Branagh‘s film adaptation of the Marvel comic. If Chris looks familiar, it’s because he’s currently playing George Kirk, the dreamboat papa of dreamboat Chris Pine in a little movie called Star Trek. Then, as if his fanboy cred wasn’t impressive enough, Hemsworth is currently filming Joss Whedon‘s new horror movie Cabin in the Woods. So, we’re going to be seeing a lot of Chris for some time. No complaints here. Maybe he’ll follow in the footsteps of fellow Aussies Hugh Jackman and Mel Gibson. Well, maybe not Mel.
I’m still holding out hope that site member Johnny M will be cast as Nurse Jane Foster. I will send Branagh a clip of his brilliant performance as the lovelorn nurse.
Can you believe we’re halfway through May? That means we’re finally getting to the shirtless shots of May Fanboy of the Month Rob. I hope you’ve been enjoying Rob. He’s been lurking and emailing me every week with a barrage of questions and comments: “Why did you use that shot? I didn’t know you were shooting when I did that. Are you really going to post the underwear pics? Is anyone downloading my calendar?” Rob, you just need to sit back and relax and enjoy the FBOTM ride with the rest of us. It’s all good. Now, here’s the important stuff:
• Check out the latest shots from Rob’s shoot in the Gallery.
• Read all about Rob in his bio and see his intro video in the FBOTM Lounge.
• Get your desktop calendar, featuring Rob, on the Downloads page.
• If you’re going to be at San Diego Comic-Con this year and you want to be an FBOTM, contact me or sign up in the Forum.
Finally, remember March FBOTM Derek? If you liked Derek, be sure to sign up for FBOTU Backdoor, our official newsletter. We’ll be sharing some never-before-seen shots of Derek, as well as Part Two of his video. Sign up today in the little box at the bottom of the left column here on the main page. Super easy!
Big Load this week, folks! In fact, I’m beginning to think I might have a problem. In addition to my usual load of comics, I’ve started picking up more and more titles thanks to your recommendations, as well as clever marketing. I’m highly suggestible and notorious for judging books by their covers. Which is how we got this week’s FBOTU Comic of the Week:
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #1: Maybe it’s because my own pooch has been acting so strange lately, but I was immediately drawn to the high-flying pets on the cover of this four-part series. “Is The Pet Avengers any good?” I asked Sexy Comics Monger. “Yeah,” he grunted back at me, “and it’s in continuity, too.” Well then, wrap it up, kind sir! It turns out the Avengers and the Fantastic 4 aren’t the only ones looking for the potentially lethal Infinity Gems. Their pets are, too...and they’re succeeding! Joining Medusa’s pooch Lockjaw, we have Throg (Frog of Thunder), the X-Men dragon Lockheed, Falcon’s bird Redwing, Speedball’s feline friend Hairball and Aunt May’s gender-confused dog Ms. Lion. Despite the potential for silliness, the first issue is a great read. At first glance, the artwork evokes the feel of Saturday morning cartoons, yet manages to portray the animal heroes with great expression and nobility. I usually resist cutesy pet stories and movies, but this one is told with enough wit and sincerity to avoid the sentimentality. Plus, it gives me hope that my own dog might actually be sneaking off to save the world when he’s not sleeping 22 hours a day.
(More of the Load after the jump, including a special tribute to Nightwing’s ass!)
Since I was traveling recently, I became fairly obsessed with the Skymall catalog on board all the aircraft. I’m not new to Skymall, either. One year, I was traveling so much for work that I did all my holiday shopping from that catalog. But I hadn’t perused their pages in a while, so I was delighted to find some new products among the standard selection of overpriced gizmos and doo-dads. For instance, a company called Design Toscano has the coolest selection of garden sculptures I’ve ever seen. Any one of these would help geekify your yard, garden or patio. First, we have a classic...Bigfoot, the Garden Yeti Statue:
Bigfoot stands over two feet tall and sells for $98.95. I love that he’s in the classic bigfoot pose from the hoax footage, but bears a striking resemblance to Harry from Harry & The Hendersons. If Bigfoot is a little too cutesy for your garden of horrors, you could always go with The Zombie of Montclaire Moors Statue:
Sculpted by British artist Alan Dickinson, this would be perfect to scare kids away from your house at Halloween...or your gardener on any occasion. It’s $89.95. Of if you prefer a little more Jurassic in your park, here are a couple of cool dino selections:
Sorry I didn’t get around to talking about all these until after Mother’s Day. That zombie would have been a great surprise for mom. Father’s Day is just around the corner, though!
It’s exciting to see comics giant Marvel on the cutting edge of 10 years ago. Out on newsstands now, the June issue of XXL magazine features the first half of a two-part comic book showcasing Eminem and The Punisher, cleverly titled Eminem/Punisher: Kill You. The story follows the adventures of a scrappy 36-year-old millionaire white kid just trying to rhyme his way off the mean streets of Detroit, when he meets up with deadly vigilante Frank Castle. Part one is out now in XXL, and part two is available at Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited for free.
Now, here’s Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada‘s candid and unscripted take on the project:
“When we learned that Eminem is a fan and collector of Marvel comics, we could only imagine what would happen if The Punisher and Slim Shady met up in the Marvel Universe. This was a unique partnership and the team had a blast working with Eminem and incorporating the rapper into the Marvel fold.”
Why does he sound like a Skrull? Next up for Marvel: The Punisher Meets The Hoff.
$76.5 million over four days (most theaters started showing the film on Thursday). It’s not the biggest opening ever, but it’s still way above the self-deprecating $50 million estimate Paramount put out there prior to the release. I went with some non-Trek fans, and they loved it and want to see it again. I gave it a mostly good review here. Admittedly, I’m no Star Trek expert, so I’m anxious to hear what our hardcore, longtime ST fanboys think of the reboot, the reaction and the future of the franchise. Was the homoerotic hotness of Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto enough to satisfy? Or were you left wanting more? Did this new venture usurp Galaxy Quest as the best ST movie ever made? Should there have been more whales and fan dances? Or even one Klingon? You can share your thoughts here or over in the ST thread in the Forum.
Or, if you just can’t get enough Star Trek, be sure to check out The Onion news report on the movie and the Saturday Night Live appearance, both featured below. Thanks, Johnny M, for the links!
